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In Memoriam

Remembering Laurence NeeTutor, Santa Fe

August 5, 2013

In 2005, Laurence Nee (1970-2013) joined the faculty in Santa Fe, where he was treasured for his sense of humor, thoughtful insights, and gift for conversation. The community gathered for a memorial held on November 2, 2013, in the Junior Common Room. Santa Fe President Mike Peters provided opening and closing remarks. Santa Fe tutors Janet Dougherty, Philip LeCuyer, Michael Ehrmantraut, and Gregory Schneider, along with alumnus Adam Visher (SF11), shared testimonials in honor of their colleague and friend. The following are some remembrances and excerpts from remarks at the service:

“Laurence taught me many things as a teacher, but one thing stands out. He always tried to figure out what made a student care and what things a student cared about. Laurence could also make you laugh, a gift that I appreciate more and more every day. His skill with the quick remark and the friendly jab were to be envied. In some ways, he was one of the best conversationalists that I have ever met.” – Gregory Schneider, Santa Fe tutor

“Through his efforts as a tutor, my appreciation for a much beloved novel awakened, and my understanding and appreciation continually grows. I will never re-read Pride and Prejudice without reflecting upon Mr. Nee’s love and respect for the work. I am eternally grateful.” – Lealia Nelson (SFGI11)

“I had the great pleasure of having freshman summer seminar with Mr. Nee. His presence was felt strongly at every session and his sense of humor – especially his tolerance of what I tried to pass as humor – is something I shall never forget.” – Nareg Seferian (SF11)

During the five years that he taught at the college and the years that followed, Nee made a remarkable impact on the community as a teacher, colleague, and friend. He is remembered for his extraordinary character and service to the college. “Personally, I have seen in him a kind of answer to a question I consider significant, that I first heard posed several decades ago: ‘Can a Christian be a great-souled man?’ says Santa Fe Dean J. Walter Sterling. “Laurence’s character is, for me, evidence in favor of such a possibility. Be that as it may, what one heard from his colleagues at the memorial was that he possessed an extraordinary range of virtues of character, as well as of intellect, a combination as beautiful as it is rare. He made us a better college.”